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U  n   iUbuu  r  ji/ 


FUwtw  (Ut; 


No.  17. 

I  DONT  LIKE  PROFESSIONS. 


This  is  the  reason  which  many  give  for  not  acknowl- 
edging Christ.  They  say,  when  urged  upon  the  point, 
that  they  l*  don't  like  professions."  A  strange  reason 
this  for  not  obeying  the  express  command  of  the  Divine 
Saviour  !  What,  if  they  do  not  like  professions,  do  they 
equally  dislike  obeying  commands?  If  so,  they  had 
better  say:  "I  don't  like  obedience  to  the  commands  of 
God."  But  they  profess  to  be  well  disposed  to  obey  : 
it  is  only  to  professing  that  they  object.  Well,  then, 
let  them  obey  all  the  precepts  which  they  find  in  the 
Bible,  and  we  will  not  trouble  them  about  a  profession. 
Why  should  we?  In  that  case  they  will  obey  the  pre- 
cept which  enjoins  a  profession — they  will  do  the  thing 
appointed  in  remembrance  of  Christ. 

But  "I  don't  like  professions."  And  who  does  like 
mere  professions?  Who  ever  contended  in  favor  of  a 
man's  professing  to  have  what  he  has  not?  Professions 
are  very  different  from  mere  professions.  Suppose  a 
person  has  what  he  professes  to  have,  what  then  ?  What 
is  the  objection  to  a  profession  in  that  case?  I  see 
none.  If  a  man  loves  the  Lord  Jesus,  I  can  see  no 
harm  fti  his  professing  or  declaring  his  attachment  to 
him.  It  is  very  natural  to  declare  it.  We  profess 
attachment  to  others — to  relatives,  friends,  benefactors, 
pastors,  civil  rulers.      Why  not  to  Christ?     How  does 


2  I    DON'T    LIKE    PROFESSIONS-^;' 

'  y 
his  being  the  subject  of  the  profession   constitute  such 
an  objection   to  it?     Is  he  the  only  being  to  whom. we 
may  not  profess  attachment? 

"  Don't  like  professions  ?"  Why,  yes,  they  do.  Pro- 
fessions of  friendship,  of -'patriotism,  and  of  Joyalty  they 
like.  Why  not  of  reffgion  ?  Why  should  not  religion 
be  professed,  as  well  as  other  things?  Are  attachment 
to  the  gospel,  love  to  Christ,  regard  for  the  authority  of 
Jehovah,  and  adherence  to  his  government,  the  only 
things  never  to  be  professed? 

I  do  not  see  any  objection  to  professions;  but  I  see 
propriety  and  utility  in  them,  even  if  it  were  optional 
with  us. to  make  them  or  not.  If  it  were  left  to  our  choice, 
it  strikes  me,  we  ought  to  choose  to  profess  love  and  obe- 
dience to  Christ.  But  suppose  it  is  required,  does  not 
that  alter  the  case?  Will  these  persons-say  they  do  not 
like  what  God  requires  ?  And  does  he  not  require  a  pro- 
fession ?  His  inspired  apostle  twice  exhorts  Christians 
to  hold  fast  their  profession.  Does  not  that  imply  that 
it  is  made,  and  ought  to  be  made?  How  is  a  person  to 
hold  on  to  that  of  which  he  has  never  taken  hold?  Is 
not  the  public  profession  of  Christ  required  when  it  is 
made  a  condition  of  salvation  ?  Rom.  x,  9.  "  If  thou 
shalt  confess  with  thy  mouth  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  shalt 
believe  in  thine  heart  that  God  had  raised  him  from  the 
dead,  thou  shalt  be  saved."  Does  not  divine  authority 
require  it,  when  to  the  doing  of  it  is  made  one  of  the 
most  precious  promises  in  the  whole  Bible?  "  Whoso- 
ever, therefore,  shall  confess  me  before  men,  him  will  I 
confess,  also,  before  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven." 
Is  not  that  duty,  against  the  omission  of  which  such  a 
threatening  lies  as  this  ?  "  But  whosoever  shall  deny 
me  before  men,  him  I  will  also  deny  before  my  Father 
which  is  in  heaven."  Matt,  x,  32,  33.  It  is  very  plain 
that  God  requires  professions,  though  some  men  do  not 
like  them. 

9 


i  don't  like  professions.  3 

"You  don't  like  professions!"  Then  Joshua,  a  man 
that  followed  the  Lord  fully,  falls  under  your  censure, 
for  he  professed  the  service  of  God.  "  As  for  me  and 
my  house,"  said  he,  "  we  will  serve  the  Lord."  Are 
we  to  think  the  worse  of  him  for  this?  Some  ask  what 
is  the  use  of  a  profession  ?  If  they  will  observe  what 
followed  Joshua's  profession,  they  will  see  the  use  of  it. 
They  will  see  that  it  brought  out  all  Israel.  "  We 
will  also  serve  the  Lord,"  said  they,  and  they  entered 
that  day  into  a  covenant  to  serve  him.  Nor  did  their 
practice  belie  their  profession-  for  it  is  recorded  that 
"  Israel  served  the  Lord  all  the  days  of  Joshua,  and  all 
the  days  of  the  elders  that  overlived  Joshua."  So  much 
for  a  profession.  It  is  agreed  on  all  hands  that  that  pro- 
fessing generation,  in  piety  and  devotion  to  God,  sur- 
passed any  other  during  the  national  existence  of  Israel. 

We  read,  in  1  Tim.  ii,  10,  of  certain  things  which  are 
said  to  become  "  women  professing  godliness."  It 
would  seem  from  this  to  be  the  duty  of  women  to  profess 
godliness.  And  if  of  women,  of  men  also,  I  suppose. 
What  case  of  real  subjection  to  the  gospel  of  Christ  do 
we  read  of,  which  *was  not  also  a  case  of  ".professed 
subjection"  to  it?  Paul,  in  2  Cor.  ix,  13,  speaks  of 
some  who  glorified  God  for  the  "professed  subjection" 
of  others  unto  the  gospel  of  Christ.  It  appears,  then, 
that  God  is  glorified  by  these  professions.  And  I  should 
presume,  from  certain  passages  in  the  Bible,  that  he  is 
not  glorified  when  a  profession  is  withheld.  There  were 
in  primitive  times,  some  who  did  not  like  professions. 
It  is  no  new  thing  not  to  like  professions.  In  John  xii, 
42,  43,  we  read  that  "among  the  chief  rulers,  many 
believed  on  him;  but,"  as  they  did  not  like  professions, 
"  because  of  the  pharisees  they  did  not  confess  him — for 
they  loved  the  praise  of  men  more  than  the  praise  of 
God."     It  is  no  honorable  mention  which  is  intended  to 


4:  i  don't  like  professions. 

be  made  of  another,  of  whom  it  is  said  that  he  was  "  a 
disciple  of  Jesus,  but  secretly,  for  fear  of  the  Jews." 
John  xix,  38.  Fear  made  him  decline  a  profession  for  a 
time;  but  at  length  he  came  out  openly  on  the  side  of 
Christ,  and  besought  Pilate  for  the  body  of  Jesus. 

■If  they  who  say  they  do  not  like  professions  mean 
that  they  do  not  like,  false,  or  loud,  or  ostentatious,  or 
barely  verbal  professions,  let  them  say  so,  and  we  will 
agree  with  them;  but  let  them  not  mean  this,  and  say, 
without  qualification,  they  "don't  like  professions." 

It  is  truly  strange,  because  some  now,  as  in  apostolic 
times,  "profess  that  they  know  God,  but  in  works  deny 
him,"  that  others  will  never  profess  to  know  him.  Be- 
cause men  have  professed  friendship,  and  have  proved 
no  friends,  therefore  they  will  not  only  not  profess  friend- 
ship, but  they  will  abstain  from  certain  acts  and  expres- 
sions of  friendship,  because  they  involve  a  profession  of 
it!  It  is  a  pity  that  men  who  are  going  to  give  an  ac- 
count of  themselves  to  God,  should  reason  and  act  thus. 
•  Well,  they  must  do  as  they  please  ;  but  of  one  thing  I 
am  sure  :  The  hour  is  coming  when,  however  they  may 
now  dislike  professions,  they  will  like  them.  They  may 
not  now  like  to  confess  Christ  before  men,  bu^they  will 
then  like  to  have  Christ  confess  them  before  his  Father. 
They  may  not  like  to  call  him  now  the  beloved  of  their 
souls,  but  they  will  like  to  have  him  call  them,  on  that 
day,  the  blessed  of  his  Father. 


PUBLISHED    BY    THE    SOUTH    CAROLINA    TRACT    SOCIETY. 


Printed  by  Evans  &  Cogswell,  No.  3  Broad  street,  Charleston,  S.  C 


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